New Scientist


The Monte Verde controversy is back: who first lived in the Americas?

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The Monte Verde sites in Chile have been the source of arguments among archaeologists for decades. Columnist Michael Marshall finds the row is heating up again – and could change our understanding of the first peoples in the Americas


Do AIs already process information in a way that gives rise to consciousness? 

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A leading theory of consciousness explains experience as information flowing through a global workspace in the mind. On board a luxury yacht, neuroscientists and philosophers recently debated signs of a similar workspace in the chatbot Claude


Why the worst El Niño killed millions – and how we can avoid a repeat

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000

The world hasn't experienced an El Niño this strong since the 1870s, when it sparked a terrible global famine. Are we better prepared this time?


Two large asteroids found spinning as fast as a fairground ride

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Rocks in the asteroid belt rotating at ultra-fast speeds suggest our understanding of asteroid structure might be wrong


Does each new covid-19 variant pose a significant threat?

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:39:31 +0000

Most covid-19 cases are caused by a particular type of variant, but do we need to worry every time a new one emerges?


Tattoos could be turned on and off with light

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A new type of ink could overcome one of the main downsides of tattoos: the inability to make them invisible


Nearly 1 in 10 young adults could have fatty, narrow arteries

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:21:55 +0000

Atherosclerosis, the build-up of fatty plaque in arteries, usually affects people older than 50, but a "meaningful" proportion of younger adults also have the condition


Rising water is creating inland ghost forests in the US

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Forests full of dead trees aren’t just found by the US coasts – they are also appearing far from the sea around freshwater lakes


Grief and tech collide in uneasily brilliant sci-fi film The Remotes

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Shown at the New York Film Festival, John Torres’s film The Remotes tells of a mysterious app that seems to be controlling drivers' bodies, causing them to crash. It is challenging but worth it, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan


Number of known species of giant waterlilies almost doubles

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

A new species of giant waterlily identified with the help of social media and satellite photos is just one of three discovered in the past few years